Touch
by Kaytoko
Summary: His hand lifted to touch her cheek. A whisper. A kiss. His breath lingered on her lips. He pulled away, and then he was gone. He had been gone for so long, and she missed him. Desperately. ONE SHOT.


_Touch_

**A/N:** Okay, lets be honest. This really has no particular plot. Midway through writing the next chapter of my multi-chapter MurtaghxNasuada fix, _Pömnuria Hjarta er medh Ono_, I decided that I desperately wanted to write a fluffy MurtaghxNasuada moment, and this is what came out! In all fair warning, this is rather **sensual**. That being said, I hope you enjoy it regardless!

. . . . . . . . . . .

She was sleeping. Her breath was slow as her mind traveled through her thoughts and daydreams. In her dreams, he was with her. He stood close to her, their skin touching just barely. He would lift his hand and touch her cheek, his lips meeting her ever so softly. Then, his hand would fall away, his lips would pull away from her's and he was gone. It was all a matter of wishing, and that was all she had to hold onto.

Knowing she was awake now, she gently opened her eyes to stare out into the darkness of her room. How many nights was it now that she spent dreaming about things that would never be? He promised to return, but it had been weeks, coming on months. She knew he was busy, and that he'd always keep his promises, but she missed him. By the Gods, she missed him.

Sitting up in her bed, she sighed, holding her head in her hands. She wasn't going to let the tears fall this night. She spent too many days struggling against her emotions. She knew she had to make herself face the truth and dry her eyes for the last time, but she didn't want to have that final cry yet. She didn't want to admit what was inevitably coming to pass.

"When will you return to me?" she asked the silent air. She didn't expect an answer from the empty room, but a sound akin to a clearing of a throat made her jump a bit, eyes wide.

"I hoped you wouldn't wait for my return," a low voice responded. He stood just away from the doors opening to her balcony, still clothed in his traveling cloak, pack over his shoulder and Zar'roc glinting from its place at his hip. He looked tired and travel-worn, but his eyes glinted in the dim light of the room, watching her with a soft emotion that she loved to see from him. Without a single word, she ripped the blankets from her, practically running to him. His pack fell with a heavy thump to the ground as he caught her in his arms. He embraced her tightly, burying his nose in the crook of her neck. She sniffled.

"How could you possibly ask that of me," she asked softly, squeezing him closer to her. "I have missed you so much, Murtagh."

"I have thought of you every day I was gone," he murmured, his lips brushing against her neck. "I was so anxious to return that Thorn nearly tipped me off his back for being annoying." She laughed softly, trying to pull herself away long enough to look at him. His hands were unrelenting, keeping her pinned against him. "No," he said lowly. "Stay."

"Murtagh," she said quietly, in surprise.

"I just want to hold you for a while," he said. She smiled lightly into his shoulder. They were silent for a moment, Murtagh's breath hot against the skin of her neck as he drank in her presence.

"Did your trip go well?" she asked.

"Yes," he responded shortly. He turned his face a bit, pressing a solid, warm kiss against the base of her throat. She shivered.

"And how are Eragon and Saphira?" she asked again, trying to focus.

"Nasuada," Murtagh sighed, pushing her away a bit so that he could look her in the eye. He was frowning. "You're talking too much."

She swallowed her next filler question, staring up at into his eyes. He read her actions, letting his lips curl into a one-sided smile that reached all the way to his eyes. Her heart fluttered in her chest, her own lips turning up to respond to his soft smile. He dipped his head swiftly, firmly taking her mouth with his own. His lips lingered on hers for a long moment before backing away just barely, their eyes meeting for a brief intense moment.

"Nasuada, I-"

She shushed him lightly before he could say what was on his mind. "I know."

He smiled a little, leaning in to kiss her again. She let her eyes close, letting the feeling of his lips against hers consume her. Soft kisses slowly grew into greedier, open mouthed kisses, Murtagh's hands reaching up to tangle within her long dark hair. Her fingers reached up to where his cloak connected, pulling the strings until the heavy material fell from his shoulders to pool on the floor. His hands moved to hold the base of her head, his thumbs brushing the sensitive skin below her ears. She pressed her lips together as he gently moved her head to the side, trailing warm, open-mouthed kisses down the path of her throat. Despite her efforts, a low sigh escaped her lips at the feeling of his teeth gently grazing the skin of her neck. He growled low in response to her, dropping a hand to her lower back to firmly press her body against his. She reacted with a gasp of surprise, a sharp object digging into her abdomen.

"Sorry," he said quickly, stepping away briefly to unhook Zar'roc from his belt. She laughed softly at the situation, her face hot and her lips tingling from his rough kisses. She placed a cool hand on her burning skin, a wide smile crossing her face.

"I feel like a lovestruck teenager," she chuckled as he bent to place his sword beside the discarded pack and cloak already on the floor. He glanced up at her, disown smile forming on his face at the sight of hers. He treaded his fingers through her loose hair again, kissing her shortly on the lips again before leaning into her ear.

"You might, but I do not," he said lowly, his warm breath cascading over her sensitive skin. A shiver crawled down her spine and curled warmly in the pit of her stomach as his mouth came down on the curve of her ear, his warm tongue licking it temptingly. He smiled against her skin when she whimpered softly. "Lets take this somewhere more appropriate," he whispered.

Taking careful steps, the Rider gently pushed the Queen backwards until the backs of her legs ran into her bed. With a light shove, she fell back onto the soft surface with a thump. He leaned over her, twining his hands with the ones she had above her head before ducking in to kiss her again. Hard. She could feel her heart pounding within her chest, her skin heating up with every lingering meet of their lips. His chest was pressed against hers so that every time he took a breath, she felt it; his knee was fit between her legs making her hyper-aware of the fact that her the skirt of her nightgown was hiked up indecently around her hips, but she couldn't bring herself to care in the least.

Just as she started to feel strained for a decent supply of air, Murtagh pulled away, gently nipping her lip as he did. She took a few deep breaths, noticing that he was breathing just as raggedly as she was, his breath hot against her face. His lips were swollen and kiss bruised, his cheeks flushed red. His eyes were darker than normal, his heated, hungry stare making the hair stand up on her arms. A slow, devious smirk pulled up at his lips. She swallowed thickly.

He released one of her hands to replace his own upon the exposed skin of her hip. His palm touched her softly, pushing the hem of her skirt up higher as he exposed the skin of midriff. She shivered lightly as the cold air rose goosebumps across her stomach. He kept her gaze as his fingers slowly traced a line down to her navel, before he lowered his lips to gently kiss her stomach. She bit her lip, squirming lightly under the feeling of his mouth on her belly. His lips softly trailed down the curve of her stomach, pulling a whimper from her when his moist tongue darted out against her warm skin. He trailed it down further to the dip of her bellybutton when-

A sniffle. "Mommy?"

Nasuada bolted up, yanking her skirt down frantically. Murtagh reacted in surprise, losing his balance before falling off the bed with a loud thump. He groaned lightly and the Queen whispered a soft apology before quickly moving across the room to where a teary-eyed little boy stood shyly behind a conjoined door.

"Alem? Sweetie, why are you crying?" she asked the little brown-eyed boy, bending down to his height to look at him worriedly. His eyes were wide with tears as he stared over at her bed.

"W-what was that?" he asked, frightened.

"It's okay, honey," Nasuada said soothingly, rubbing the little boy's arms comfortingly. "It was just Daddy falling off the bed."

"Daddy?" Alem asked, his eyes widening hugely. Nasuada glanced over at the bed, noting that Murtagh had picked himself up off the floor and was rubbing the back of his head in pain.

"Hey kiddo," he said in greeting. Alem's smile grew humongous.

"DADDY!" he shouted, running past his mother to jump into the Rider's outstretched arms. Murtagh held the boy against him as the little kid bounced energetically in his hold. "When did you get back? Where's Thorn? Can I play with him?"

"Easy there, kid," the Rider laughed. "Thorn's sleeping right now. Like you should be. Is everything okay, little man?"

Alem nodded. "I had a nightmare, but I'm fine now!" he said bravely. Nasuada smiled as she walked over to where the two of them were talking.

"Are you sure you are okay, Alem?" she asked him with a touch of worry. The little boy nodded again.

"The scary monsters can't hurt me with Daddy around!" he announced. Murtagh and Nasauda's eyes met. They laughed softly at their son's brave declaration. He took after them so much.

"I am glad you are not scared anymore," Nasuada told him. "But it's way past your bedtime, young man."

Alem turned his big brown eyes up towards his mother, his lower lip quivering dangerously. "I don't wanna sleep in my room… Can I sleep with Mommy and Daddy?"

Nasuada sighed, looking at Murtagh to make the decision. Murtagh shrugged lightly, realizing just as much as she that their time of the night was lost to a little teary-eyed boy.

"Sure thing, kid," the Rider said with a light, disappointed sigh. Alem cheered and ran to the bed, curling up in the middle, waiting for his parents to join him. Murtagh stood up, smiling lightly at his wife. She shrugged in response, moving to crawl under the covers with their son. It didn't take long for the little boy to drift back into the world of dreams, murmuring softly to himself, and Nasuada and Murtagh were left wide-awake lying on the bed, watching their young son. Nasuada gently stroked the boy's dark hair, humming softly to him. The Rider gently touched the Queen's cheek, catching her attention. They shared a small, private smile.

"I love you, Nasuada," he said softly. She blushed prettily, looking down at their son. Regardless of their night turning out to be much different than what she anticipated, she was undeniably happy.

"I love you as well, Murtagh."

**A/N:** Like what you read? Please REVIEW and let me know what you think! Also, if you're interested in more MurtaghxNasuada fluff, check out _Pömnuria Hjarta er medh Ono_ for an adventure/romance to fill your desire for more of these kinds of awesome moments. Thanks so much for reading!


End file.
